Although Worlds of Warcraft, the king of MMOs, will most likely never be toppled, there are plenty of ambitious developers out there who want to give it a try. These developers want to bring life back to the MMO genre, that while not being dead, is as popular as it once used to be. Even the latest WoW expansion was not able to do what old-school WoW did for the genre. These are 5 upcoming and ambitious MMO projects that you should keep an eye on, that will hopefully bring some energy back to the genre.
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is an MMO that hardcore MMO fans have had their eyes on for a while now. The developers are looking to continue where old MMOs have left off. They are not promising new and groundbreaking features but are instead promising to revive the social aspect of MMOs. According to them, players are nowadays not as encouraged to chat with other players in MMOs as they used to be which is something that they desperately miss. This game will be hard and unforgiving for solo players meaning that you really have no choice but to work together. This game might not be for everyone, but the developers aren’t marketing it as a game for everyone in the first place.
Crowfall
Crowfall promises to innovate by combining it with strategy elements. It will be focused heavily around wars between various factions that will be played out through campaigns that last multiple months. According to the developers, it will feel similar to the wars and political system in Game of Thrones. During the campaigns, the various factions will fight for control over dynamically created parts of the world. After the campaign is over a completely new one will start to ensure that no single faction will remain in power for a long period of time. Also, there is a playable Guinea Pig race which should make this your most anticipated game of all time by default.
Torchlight Frontiers
Torchlight Frontiers will not be seen as an MMO by the most hardcore of fans but is describes by the developers as an MMO version of Torchlight. Think of it somewhat as Path of Exile, but instead of only sharing towns with other players there will also be gameplay areas that you share with other players. There is also a focus on gathering and crafting as you will be able to create and customize your own fort. Another interesting aspect is that they will have a horizontal leveling system, meaning that you don’t have to constantly level up in order to become more powerful. If you enjoyed playing the previous Torchlight games you should definitely keep your eye out for this title.
Star Citizen
It’s weird putting Star Citizen on this list. It feels like a game that has already been released, due to its enormous fanbase, but it’s still in alpha. Nevertheless, this is an MMO that’s going to be amazing, if the developers can implement everything that they want to implement, and it will most likely change the gaming industry forever. The only hurdle for the game so far seems to be actually getting released. It’s quite unbelievable that a game that has raised over $200 million is actually not released yet. I probably don’t have to tell any gaming fan to look out for this game but just in case you live under a stone, keep your eyes on Star Citizen!
New World
There’s not a lot known about New World, however, we do know that the company behind the game is Amazon and they’re able to invest a lot of money in a game like this. New World will take place in a fictional America that has just been discovered. Magic and monster are real in this world and while exploring the new continent you will most likely come face to face with countless monstrosities. You will be tasked with joining forces with other players to create companies, claim territories to rule over, fighting against raiders, enemies, and monster and much more. This all sounds a bit generic but as I said, not much is known about this game. All we know is that Amazon is financially capable of creating something huge.
